Dr. Carlson was appointed Deputy Director of the Ohktinsky Centre for Aesthetic Education (St. Petersburg, Russia). Her responsibilities included serving as Head of the Curriculum and as Head of the Instrumental Departments. At the Institute for Economics, Culture and Business Administration, Dr. Carlson served as a member of the piano faculty.

In 2003, Dr. Carlson formed a piano duo, with Karina Sposobina of the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory faculty. As “Duo Consenso”, they began by winning an award at the Valentino Bucci International Competition (Italy). Since then they have vastly expanded their repertoire, and have performed frequently in the St. Petersburg Piano Duo Association concert series. Their recording of Rachmaninoff's “Symphonic Dances” was featured on TVRC “Petersburg” radio, and recently they performed the Russian premiere of “Romantic Duets” by Rodion Shchedrin.A devoted collaborative artist, Dr. Carlson served as principal accompanist for the vocal studio of the Tchaikovsky Competition prizewinner, Professor Victoria Evtodieva (St. Petersburg, Russia) and in the USA, as the rehearsal pianist and Russian diction coach with Harvard University’s Lowell House Opera (Cambridge, MA) and with Opera Naples (Naples, FL). In addition to winning numerous awards in regional and international competitions as an accompanist, Alexandra Carlson mastered the interpretation of German lieder under Professor Siegfried Mauser. Recent collaborations include performances with Kurt Ollmann, Raymond Gniewek, Adam Satinsky, Daniela Shtereva, Jonah Kim, Andrey Dogadin, Yana Ivanilova, Alexander Gergalov and Chrysalis. An active advocate for contemporary music, Alexandra Carlson has performed American premieres by Russian composer Anton Tanonov, Russian premieres by composers Rodion Shschedrin, Ekaterina Blinova and Boris Arhkimandritov. More recently, as the Contemporary Ensemble Fellow at the Atlantic Music Festival (Waterville, ME) she performed 23 world premieres by resident composers.